Wednesday, December 4, 2013

november 2013 update...READ IT!

2013 HAS BEEN A YEAR FULL OF CHALLENGES, BUT IT HAS ALSO BEEN A YEAR FULL OF PROGRESS. HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS PAST YEAR...

OUTREACH TEAM

This year we have seen more volunteers from South City Church become involved with the street outreaches. We see this as crucial to the work. Local church should be involved in outreach. Streetwise is providing just one such avenue at South City Church. We get excited about getting others excited to join the work.

JOE: TEEN CHALLENGE COMPLETED

As of October 2013, Joe Chibanze, former street kid, drug dealer and street-life food-chain CEO (top of the chain) has completed a year at the Teen Challenge Kafue Center. He is currently helping out at the center until he departs for Swaziland to continue the program with life skills training. Joe has been invaluable on the streets, and he is a true-life story of how Christ can change a person. Just a few weeks ago we sent Samford to Teen Challenge and we hear reports that he is doing SO well! Soon David will be joining him. We are getting so excited to see God moving in the hearts of these guys.

MOONLIT 5K FUN RUN

On September 19th, 2013, over 100 participants gathered together for a worthy cause: to support the Streetwise Outreach and raise money for it’s future endeavors. Spearheaded by Ilke Green and Nikki Timmerman, the goal was to raise awareness and support for this street kid ministry, which operates locally under South City Church.

The result: 10,000 ZMW (a little over $1800USD). We were amazed and gobsmacked at the turn out. People from all over Lusaka, many of whom we have never met, came out to run and enjoy the event.

STREETWISE CRAFT CO.

After years of praying about helping the street kids with something viable for their future, the idea of Streetwise Craft Co. was born.

We are in the process of creating antique-style products for sale, with two goals: introduce a product that currently does not exist in the Lusaka market, and create a trade school which would teach street kids skills like woodworking, painting, hand lettering.....basically how to see a job through with pride and dignity in a job well done.

We have been able to sell at craft markets around the city and have been met with an enthusiasm for the project that has left us amazed.

We want to see kids becoming productive members and leaders in society. To recognize their God given abilities and talents. To understand that their life is valuable and worthy.

For more information, go to: http://www.streetwisefurniture.org/about.

WHAT DOES 2014 LOOK LIKE?

Our priority in January will be to begin looking for a suitable workshop in which to develop the products. Right now we are working out of our dining room. As you can imagine that is getting a bit crowded. We want to have a place where the kids feel welcome and at home. Available to them will be two meals a day, instruction on how to use tools and projects they can begin, as well as a facility for them to bathe themselves and wash their clothes.

We eventually want to move into power tools so that we can make higher end furniture for a slightly different market.

• Do you have a skill that you think might be of some value to the work here?

• Support us as a family: If you would like to contribute to us as a family, the easiest way would be to click here: https://www.tscnyc.org/donate_tsc.php. Select “Make a one-time gift.” In the “Donate to” drop down, select “Missions–Missionary.” Our name will appear in that menu.